advice on the Fender Roscoe Beck Signature 5 String

I have just joined talk bass today and am pritty new at bass palying. i have been playing the double bass for 2.5 years and I am grade 6 but I do play a bit of bass guitar. To every body out there what is your opinon on the Fender Roscoe Beck Signature 5 String. I can get one for £1300 instead of £1500 but what i want to know is weather it is worth the money and if there is any thing better thatn it out there.

Hey this is my first post. I have an rb5 and think it is a very good bass. With you being only in the sixth grade I dont know how big your hands are. The rb5 has a pretty big neck and can be a chore to play in the begining. Like I said its an excellent bass but neckwise too big for your hands. You might wanna try a 4 string, maybee a jazz just to get used to the finger spacing. Good luck

He says he's playing double-bass... how do those necks compare (or does it depend on the bass)? I have no idea...

Assuming you can wrap your hands around one: I love the Fender RB5: "the bass so nice I bought it twice" (well actually I bought the first and traded for the second). I always bring 2 basses to a gig, and 90% of the time at least one is an RB5. I own some much fancier "boutique" fivers, but 60% of the time I gig with the RB5.

I also own an RBV. It's a great bass (probably the best of Fender's production-line instruments) but the competition begins ramping up in that price point.

I don't think you should have too much trouble with the neck. While it does have one of the widest necks I've ever played on a 5-string, it's manageable and actually a plus when slapping.

If you're only an occasional bass guitarist, I'd also check out the cheap-as-hell MTD Kingstons/Heirs, the slightly-more-expensive Lakland Skylines and the even-more-expensive Pedulla Raptures. They're all quality chunky-necked 5-string monsters.

Originally posted by remaster I have just joined talk bass today and am pritty new at bass palying. i have been playing the double bass for 2.5 years and I am grade 6 but I do play a bit of bass guitar. To every body out there what is your opinon on the Fender Roscoe Beck Signature 5 String. I can get one for £1300 instead of £1500 but what i want to know is weather it is worth the money and if there is any thing better thatn it out there.

ps i have read the talk bass review on it.

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I think it's the best Fender around, but £1300 is a fairly high price - you could probably get one "used" for quite a bit less. Also, for £1300 there is a lot of competition.

I would recommend going somewhere like the Bass Centre in London and trying all the basses in that price range to see what suits you. I think the TB5 is great and the neck is one of the most comfortable I have ever played, but it might be different for you and as I say you will find a lot of high-quality basses in that price range.

It's not a question of which bass is "better" - it's what suits you - so there are some very good Warwicks in that price range that sound very different - I can't get on with them at all as I hate the neck shape, but it does suit some people. Not better or worse - just different!

He said he was Grade 6, not in the 6th grade, so the neck size should'nt be an issue. For those who dont know, double bass players sit Royal Schools Exams, and Grade 8 is probably considered to be the equivalent of a pro player.